Second Chances
by Candace Marie
Summary: When so much time has past, is there such a thing as second chances? Can Kim and Tommy heal the wounds between them. With so much hurt between them, can I'm sorry really matter, does Tommy deserve to know why Kim broke up with him, and will it matter? When Kim is hurt, can Tommy heal her wounds?
1. Break-Up

Second Chances

A Kimberly Hart and Tommy Oliver Story

The Break-Up

Kimberly sighed as her boyfriend Jake followed her around their penthouse home, complaining about something or the other, she couldn't really muster up enough attention to care when she had finals this week. She was so close to getting her degree in Literature so that she could go back to school and become a literature teacher, and perhaps a coach as well. She finally turned to him as he broke through her reviere. "Kim, you don't love me," she heard his voice, but to her it sounded like he was whining.

"Of course I care about you," she returned, mustering a smile to her face. She had never thought back when she was seventeen she would be where she was now that she was nearing thirty. She had been in the olympics until she had hurt her knee at twenty-five and as she found herself without any credible skills that she could use, she had gone back to her first love, fairy tales, and that had expanded to literature, and she found that she wished to share her love with others which had led her to teaching. She still lived in Florida, but was considered a move, which she hadn't told Jake at all.

"No, you don't," he replied. "Maybe you believe that you do. Besides, Kimmy, caring isn't the same as loving."

"Oh, come off it, Jake. I don't have time for this. I cook your meals, I do your laundry, I take care of you, would I do any of that if I didn't care?"

" I don't know," he replied sullenly. "but I don't have your heart. A man knows Kimmy."

Kim gritted her teeth together, she couldn't stand being called Kimmy. Jake Wilson had been in one of her literature classes, and had seemed intelligent enough. She supposed he was interesting enough, they had run into each other in the gym and she had spotted him doing some karate, and he had vaguely reminded her of someone from her past. He had seemed to have a great sense of humor, but the longer she was with him, the more needy he appeared. He wasn't wrong in saying she didn't love him and he wasn't the first one to accuse her of this. She had tried, she always tried to love them. The men she had dated but nothing had seemed to work out for her. Something was always more important than the men in her life, and had been that way ever since she had moved away from Angel Grove, California.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, experated.

"I want to matter to you," he said in a calm, even tone. "I want to be able to count on you. A man needs a woman to back him up, to lean on, and I don't believe that's you. There's someone else that you love, Kimmy, and it's not me. Who is Tommy?"

She felt the shock go through her as she became defensive, "I don't know who you are talking about," she stated lowly, almost dangerously.

"Really? Kimmy, you don't know who you call out for in your sleep." She silently cursed herself.

"It was probally someone from a movie I watched when I was a kid."

"You are lying," he accused her.

"And? What are you going to do about it," she knew she wasn't being fair but she didn't seem to be able to stop herself. She knew how this would end. He would break up with her, she only hoped she would do well on her finals. Moving again would be stressful, but she had money saved up. She could stay in a hotel until finals were over, and then she would figure something out.

"Kimmy, I do love you. I just want you to love me. You never tell me anything about your past. I don't even know where your hometown is."

"My past is irrelevent," she stated airily. "If you want to know anything, it's on my facebook profile."

"Kimmy, we can't go on. We either move on, or split up now."

"Fine."

"Fine?"

"I'm leaving, Jake. I obviously can't give you whatever it is you need. Have a nice life," she stated as she began packing her backpack and other bags that included all her most important things. "It's been swell, but I now bid you adieu."

"Kimmy!" Jake called, scratching his head, puzzled at what had just occured.

Kim opened her trunk and her eyes landed on her old scapbook. She placed her things in it, and grabbed it to put in the front seat. Her heart melted just thinking of the images in that scapbook. It wasn't something that she could ever show anyone. It had to remain secret, as did the reason she had broken up with Tommy. Tommy.

Just the sound of his name filled her with hope and dread at the same time. She had hurt him so much, so why did she keep hoping, why did she keep on loving him no matter what the distance between him. She was now nearly thirty years old, surely, he was married by now. The road between them was a chasm now, could it ever be put back together. Could the scar between them ever heal? Perhaps, he had married Kat. She really did wish him the best. When you loved the way she loved him there was no room for anything but love and remorse, but she knew the fault was all hers.

She had tried to keep in touch with her friends but it had proved unbearable when all they wanted to do was drill her about her letter to Tommy, or tell her something about him. She had thought she could leave him in the past, but it was proving impossible. She had heard about the new Dino Rangers, in Reefsdale, California, and had added them to her sacred scrapbook. Something about the black ranger reminded her of the past but she didn't dwell on it. Perhaps, she should find out what had become of Zordon and Alpha V. She didn't know, she was lost in her thoughts when a transfer truck rammed her in the side and she only had time to scream and call for Tommy before everything went black.


	2. Accident

The Accident

People crowded around the little pink Corvette that Kim had driven. An EMS Tech looked through the pocketbook that had been found for her contact information. Thomas Oliver. No address, but there was a cell phone number. He would call once he got the woman stabalized. No sense in worrying the family until the knew more about what happened. The other driver was no where to be seen. He wondered about this girl, who she was, what she was doing here. She was pretty, young, he would say mid-twenties to early thirties, brown hair. She was slender, and vagually familiar.

Adam looked at her carefully. Kimberly Hart. Thomas Oliver. Oh, crap. She had been the first pink ranger, and he was going to have to call Tommy and tell him. He had been there that fateful day when Tommy had received that letter from Kim. He didn't know why she did it, but it was a lie if she still carried Tommy as her in case of emergency person. He usually dreaded those phone calls, but he really hated to make this one. He had lost touch with the other rangers over the years, so much so that he hadn't reconized his phone number. Last he had heard, Tommy had graduated grad school and was a teacher some place although he wasn't quite sure where.

He was pretty sure Tommy had never changed his number, but he had been a power ranger for so long. He looked down and Kimberly, and whispered a prayer. He had never expected to have any connection with the power rangers other than with Rocky who had become an EMT tech too. "Rocky?" he called, "Get over here. Get the jaws of life. We've got to get her out of here."

"Right boss," Rocky mock-saluted.

"Rock, it's Kim."

"Kim?" he came over to where Adam was. "Oh, boy. And she's banged up pretty bad. I'm going to get her out. Do you want to call Tommy?"

"Do I have a choice? He'll kill me if we don't tell him." Adam took out his cell, confident in Rocky's and the tech's abilities to save Kim's life. He dialed up the number and checked it twice.

"Doctor Oliver."

Adam stood there in shock. Dr. Oliver? Tommy repeated his name again. "Tommy, this is Tommy?"

"Speaking," Tommy replied.

"This is Adam."

Tommy's voice immidately warmed up. "Adam, how's it been? Are you in town? How are things with the EMS buisness? Still saving lives?"

Adam swallowed hard, this was going to be harder than he thought. "This isn't a personal call, Tommy."

"Is it about the Rangers?" Tommy asked, "Is there an attack?"

"Not that kind of buisness. I'm calling because you were listed as an emergency contact to call."

"Who? What happened?"

"It's Kim, Tommy. She was in a car accident. We're going to have to air-lift her to San Fran Memorial Hospital."

"How bad is it?" Tommy's voice had changed, had become hard. He was worried, Adam knew.

"It's hard to say. We're just getting her out of the car."

"I'm on my way." The phone went dead on Adam's side and he turned to Rocky. They had her out of the car and were getting her stabalized. There was no telling how many fractures she had. Adam and Rocky had decided that they would be saving lives in a different way than when they were rangers, and this was one of the hardest times they had. Adam and Rocky were going to be air-lifted with Kim to keep her stable. Every minute seemed to tick by as they kept monitoring her vitals, she had a concussion and several broken bones. Adam prayed while Rocky kept telling her it would be okay.


	3. Hospital

Hospital

_A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers, and for some really good power ranger stories check out UnromanticPoetess who has some great MMPR stories and who came up with some of the ideas of some of my other Power Rangers stories. And remember reviews are love._

Dr. Thomas Oliver, sometimes referred to by Tommy, had been having dreams of Kimberly all night, so at about 3:00 AM, he got up and went over his lesson plans for his high school science class. He had a cup of coffee, and took out a picture of him and Kim. Why after all these years could he still not get her out of his head. Maybe it was just the fact that she was his first, his first love, but he still thought of her way too often in his life. He gave advice to his students, but he wasn't sure he could take his own advice. They had shared so much together.

Of course, Tommy had dated since Kim, started with her replacement Kat. Kat had replaced Kimberly as the pink ranger, but not in his heart. He couldn't count the times he had saw her in her pink ranger costume and called her Kim, or the times when he had snuck up behind her and called her by Kim's nickname before he realized she wasn't Kimberly but Kat. They had had so much in common from the way they had first become power rangers, but in the end he had unconciously blamed her for not being Kim. He remembered their last argument with startling clarity.

"I'm not Kimberly," she had said with her accent.

"I know, Kat," he had said patiently.

"No, I don't think you do, Tommy. You can't seem to get her out of your head, or out of your heart. I love you, Tommy, and I've waited. I understand that you loved her, and that you had something special, but I was there when you received that 'Dear John' letter. That was cold, even for Kim."

"Leave Kim out of this," he had replied.

"I will if you will. You keep calling me her name, even when we aren't morphed. You call me her name in bed, that's very demeaning, Tommy."

"All I can do is apolgize. What do you want from me, Kat?"

"I want a commitment. I want you to stop playing Rangers, and make a commitment. I want a family. I want a baby."

"I'm not ready for that. I still feel as if the Power Rangers need me. There is no Zordon, and I'm still needed."

"You know what I think? I think that you want to be needed by the Rangers, I think that you believe that it is your last link to Kim."

"That's ridiculous, Kat. Kimberly is in Florida, she's doing her gymnastics, training for the olympics, this has nothing to do with her."

"I'm sure you believe that. I'm leaving Tommy. Good Luck with your life. Maybe someone will make you forget about Kim. I just wish it had been me, and when you wake up and realize that I'm gone, I won't be here."

"Kat."

"So what's it going to be, the Rangers or me?"

"That's not fair, Kat."

"Life's not fair, good-bye."

Of course, Tommy had dated since then. He had eventually given up the Rangers to go back to school and get his doctorate, as he kept watch over the dino gems. Then, he had been assigned detention to several students and they had encounted the dino gems forcing him to take up the mantel of ranger once again. He kept in contact with most of the rangers, although some of them had drifted away. Once in awhile he heard about Kimberly from the other rangers, but she didn't talk to them much. He went to school later in the day, smiling and joking around with his students as he taught them about dinosaurs and about how the world was during the Jurastic period, when dinosaurs walked the Earth.

He became interested in dinosaurs during his Mighty Morphin Stage, when he commanded the dragonzord. He had been seventeen, he shook his head to clear it, he had been feeling off all day, sort of dazed and he kept slipping into daydreams during class. Kiera had drew his attention back to class at least three times, she was worried about him. He had a bad feeling that he just couldn't shake. During his break, he was in the teacher's lounge working on some lesson plans, and drinking coffee when his phone vibrating and he received the phone call from Adam. He nearly spilled his coffee on himself when he found out about Kimberly.

He headed to the principle's office. "I've got to leave right now. It's a family emergency."

"Dr. Oliver, I wasn't aware you have any family."

"My..." what was Kim, "sister has been in a car accident, she's being air-lifted to the hospital. I have to be there. You will have to get me a sub from now until."

"Until..."

"Just until. I don't know. I will know more when I see her," he didn't give her time to respond. He turned and left. He went into the men's stall and teleported to the hospital. He rushed out of the bathroom at the hospital and rushed to the front desk. "I'm Dr. Thomas Oliver, I'm here to see Kimberly Hart."

"Yes, Dr. Oliver, she's just got out of surgery." Tommy took a deep breathe and followed the nurse to her room. He looked in the room, and his heart sped up, and stopped when he saw her. He had rushed over here without thinking, now what would he say to her. Lots of emotions flashed through him, the anger, the love, the hope, the rage. He put away the negative emotions, Kimberly had just been in a car accident, and he was here. She didn't need incriminations. She needed him, at least he hoped. He wondered if there was anyone in her life, and then decided it didn't matter. He was on her emergency contact, that had surprised him. Why him? He held her hand and wondered how she would react when she awoke.

"It's alright, Kimberly, I'm here. Wake up, Crane. The Falcon is here," he whispered, knowing they were the only ones that would understand that. He made himself comfortable while he waited for her to awaken.


	4. Wake-Up

Time to Wake Up

"Hey beautiful," he said his voice raw with emotion, "It's time to wake up."

"I must be dreaming," she muttered. "Tommy? Is it really you?"

"In the flesh."

"How bad do I look?"

"How bad do you feel?"

"Remember that time when Kat stole my power coin? Worse."

"You look beautiful to me."

"Thanks, Tommy. You ...are sweet."

"Not that sweet."

"Talk to me, Tommy. I'm about to pass out again."

"Well, it's Dr. Thomas Oliver, or Dr. O now."

"Keep going."

"I got my doctorate in paleontology, the study of dinosaurs. I've been teaching at Reefsdale.

"Isn't that where the new power rangers are?" she asked before her eyes drooped closed.

"I guess there's time for that later." The doctor came to talk to him, he mentioned a previous injury requiring her to be in a wheelchair for a few weeks as well as a few broken bones. After that she would need someone to look after her. He would take her home with him. She owed him an explanation, and he was going to get it out of her, no matter what it took.

He watched her sleep; memories playing through his head. He even remembered when she had been captured during his Turbo days, when he had taken off his helmet to remind her who he was, he laughed bitterly at the memory for she had already broken up with him. He still didn't understand what she had been doing with Jason. He had never got around to asking him, but it had hung between him and Jason when he had come back as the gold ranger. They had never discussed it but it had hung between them causing a rift that neither really understood. If they had been dating...a man who had been like his brother dating Kim...he shook his head to clear his thoughts.

After the Turbo incident and Kim was back to normal they had never really discussed the letter, but it had seemed like she wanted to tell him something only to have changed her mind, but that had been years ago.

He had tried to keep track of her through their mutual friends but she had seemed to cut herself off from them, and he was at a lost. He had feared she had become in an abusive relationship but he had known that she could take care of herself, she had been a power ranger. Besides, she knew if she ever needed him, he as well as the other were there for her. He wondered what she would think of him becoming a power ranger again. Maybe Kat had been right about some of the things she had said to him.

He had not dated seriously since college. He had dated, but nothing felt the same as it had with Kimberly. He convinced himself that he didn't have time that he had a higher calling but he was only fooling himself. If she had never left they probably would have been married by now, he didn't often allow himself the what ifs, the should've, could'ves but right now with her he couldn't seem to stop himself. Maybe they would have two children. He could still have taught high school science, and she could have been at home with their kids. Despite saving the world on a daily basis, he really was very simple at heart.

"Tommy," he heard a weak whisper, "Is it really you? I must be dreaming."

He was snapped out of his dreams as he reached for the hand that was reaching for him, and gave it a squeeze. "It's me, in the flesh, so to speak."

"What happened to me?"

"You were in a car accident. A transfer truck came into your oncoming lane. It wasn't your fault."

"It shouldn't have happened. I wasn't paying attention." She felt terrible and wonderful at the same time. Terrible due to the after effects of the accident, but it was wonderful to be with Tommy. "I had just broken up with my boyfriend, or he broke up with me. It's real hazy."

"Don't strain yourself, Kimberly."

"Tommy, my car?"

"Totaled. You are very lucky to be alive."

"That's me, lucky. I have been very lucky in my life, Tommy," she said thoughtfully.

"Hey, now is not the time to become serious. We will have plenty of time to talk about more serious matters."

"You cut your hair," she whispered. Tommy ran a hand through his cropped hair, feeling self-conscious under her gaze.

"Yeah, I did. I'm a teacher now, I doubt they would want me to teach with hair as long as it was."

"But it was part of your heritage."

"Yeah, well, things change, Kim."

"Yes, they do."

Tommy felt the tension between them of everything that hung in the air, he promised himself he wouldn't ask about the past today but that didn't mean he couldn't ask about the present. "The doctors have told me that they will release you in a few days but that you need someone to look after you."

"I can look after myself, Tommy," she snapped at him. Who did he think he was? She hadn't seen him in over five years, and all of a sudden he was seeing her as some kind of weak female type. She had taken fine care of herself, just fine. She didn't need him, she didn't need anyone. Except that she did need him. He was still the first person she thought of every morning and the last thought she had before she closed her eyes. He had been her last thought before the accident. Why was she acting this way? She opened her mouth to apologize but before she could he spoke.

"Look, Kim, it's either me or the hospital unless you have someone else. They won't release you without someone going with you. And I am going with you. I think you at least owe me an explanation."

"I don't owe you anything, Thomas Oliver!"

"Is this the way you want to play it?"

"I don't see what concern it is of yours." She watched as Tommy closed his eyes and then opened them.

"Kim, you were in a serious accident, and unless you have someone else to call on to look after you, it's going to be me."

"Just take me to Zordon and Alpha then and go back to whatever it is you do."

Tommy's expression became pained. "Zordon's dead, Kimberly."

"Not Zordon."

"He used the last of his power to create new power coins and save the world. It was a noble death. Someday, when I die I hope it's for the same reason."

Kimberly frowned, she knew that tone. She sat up in the bed, despite her bandaged and broken body. "What have you gotten yourself into now, Tommy?" she asked her voice going horse. They knew each other all too well. "You aren't still playing power ranger are you? Are you?"

Mercifully, she fell back asleep, sitting up, their little fight, and the worry had been too much for her. Tommy swore to himself. How was he going to take care of her if a monster attacked? What was he going to do? Maybe he could talk to some of the others. What would he do when it came a choice between being a ranger and caring for her.

Being with her, it was as if no time had passed since they had last saw each other, she could see through him, knew him better than he knew himself, and he knew her. She was hiding something from he, unlike her he hadn't been able to figure out what, but he soon would. He wished she had already known about Zordon, if she had he would've been able to tell her in his own time about being a ranger. Now, she knew. The only good thing is that when she got herself worked up, she passed out. Must be from the medication. He went to take a walk around the hospital to clear his head, and ran into a blonde he hadn't seen in a long time.


	5. Apologies

Explanations and Apologies

_A/N: Thanks to everyone who corrected me on the Reefside, will make the correct changes. Yes, it is Kat, in this chapter. _

"Tommy, is that you? How have you been?" Tommy looked at the familiar blonde in blue nurse's scrubs.

"So I see that you are still saving lives, one person at a time?"

"Yes, yes, of course Tommy. But what are you doing here?" Tommy was silent, remembering their last fight. A shadow crossed her face. "It's not Kim, is it?"

"Actually, it is. She was in a terrible car accident."

"It's always Kim, isn't it? When are you going to move on and be happy? You've already been fighting with her haven't you?"

"A minor one at most," Tommy defended.

"How can you defend her after everything she's done?"

"Hey, we don't know the whole story."

"She said you were like her brother."

"I remember."

"You don't still have that letter do you?"

"That's none of your buisness, Katherine," he said tersely.

"I guess that answers my question. Look, Tommy, if you ever get tired of waiting on Kim, I'll have a break in an hour."

"I'll consider it."

"That's all I'm asking. I've got to run. Catching up with you has been...educational," and with that she was gone. What was it with the cosmos? First, he had heard from Adam and Rocky, then he had seen Kim and now Kat. Something, was at work here. He only hoped that he didn't run into a group of putties or Lord Zedd and Empress Rita. That was all he needed now. He had to contact his students and let them know what was going on and then get back to Kim. He sent a text to Kira to let her know and then he headed back to Kim who was looking out the window thoughtfully. She had drug herself from the bed and was sitting there, looking pretty despite the bruises on her face and the bandages on her ribs. She smiled at him sadly, laying the comb on the table beside him.

"I'm sorry, Tommy. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I don't know what I was thinking."

"That I'm a jerk, I shouldn't have ordered you to come stay with me. I still feel protective over you, Kimberly. That something that I don't know will ever go away."

"Apology accepted?" she asked.

"Of course. Kim, there's some things we need to discuss."

"No, not now. Now I need to know where my car is."

"At the impound I would guess."

"You have to go find it. If you don't...everything we ever did could be ruined."

"Aren't you being a little dramatic, Kim?"

"As in the world doesn't revolve around me?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow. "No, I'm not. You have to find my scrapbook. If it were to fall into the wrong hands, everything would be ruined. You have to find it. I had it in the car with me."

"What's so important about this scrapbook?" he asked, although he shouldn't have. He knew her, he knew how important memories were to her, her precious being a power ranger had been to her, had been to them both. He swore under his breathe. He knew what she had done."How could you keep something like that? Why isn't it in a safe deposit box or a safe?"

"I don't know. I wasn't thinking clearly. I would go get it myself, but I doubt the doctor's would let me out of here and I doubt you would teleport me."

"You've got that right."

"I have to get back to Florida. I can't miss my exams."

"You are in no shape to take exams."

"I have a life in Florida," she tried again.

"If you did, then someone would be here other than me."

"Tommy..."

"Thank you," she replied. He smiled at her conflicting moods, until they sorted things out things would remain this way, and he wouldn't be bored. He wanted to kiss her, but he resisted. He wouldn't kiss her until he found out what she was keeping from him. He had to be strong, being around her was alot for him. And it was crazy, he wasn't seventeen anymore, he was thirty. He was a doctor of palentology, the trainer of power rangers, and yet...if he were to be honest with himself, he still loved her, and he always would. Always and Forever they had promised. He wondered if he had ever stopped loving her and if it was even possible to stop. Surely, you didn't choose who you loved, but he thought he had left her in the past. It didn't seem so.

"Your welcome, Kimberly. I'm doing this for all of us," he said as their eyes met, and he pushed a button on his watch and was gone. He debated on suiting up, and finally decided on it. In his black power ranger suit he had the power of invisibility, a power that he could sorely use in searching for her scrapbook. He found it under the seat. He couldn't resist looking through the notebook once he had reached safety.

He flipped open to the first page. There was a picture of the evil green ranger attacking the power rangers. She had saved this? One of the most humilating times in his life and she had saved it. On the next page was a picture of him and Kim and the dance, unmorphed in their normal lives. The whole book was like that, a picture of the rangers, followed by a picture of normal life. Even an idiot could figure out the meaning of it. He kept turning, smiling at some of the pictures. He turned to where she had left, to find pictures of Kat as the pink ranger. She had kept up with him the entire time she had been gone. He hadn't been as vigilant about keeping up with her.

He turned the page again and found the letters he had written her. She had kept it. All of it. Why had she kept it if she had thought of him as a brother? Pressed between the pages he saw his old green bandana. Why had she broke up with him? It made no sense. The more he found out the more confused he was. He was started to think it wasn't her choice to break up with him, it was something else. What he wouldn't give for some of Zordon's wisdom! He was starting to wish he had gone to her and found out why, it had been his first instinct but then he wondered if she would reject him, reject his very presence, and if he had had to see whomever it was that she had replaced him then, he didn't know what he would have done. So he had left well enough alone, and nursed his injured pride.

He had to get back to Kim. He needed answers, but visiting hours were over and he was sure there were faxes waiting for him at home, and that his rangers in Reefside would be there waiting for him along with Haley who would want to know what was going on. He didn't know what to tell them, but he had to face the music. Of course, he could easily transport into her room, and she would know that. He transported home to find the team staring at him expantantly.

"So how's your sister?" Haley asked.

"That was a cover," he replied. "I don't have a sister."

"So what have you been doing?" asked Conner.

"I have been at the hospital. Just not with a sister. I only have a brother, and well, that's another story."

"Meaning?" asked Ethan.

"I've been with Kimberly Hart."

"Why?" asked Haley.

"Because she needs me. She's going to be staying with me for awhile."

"Are you abandoning us?" asked Kiera.

"Of course not, I'm always a Ranger. And it's not like you guys have to hide anything from Kimberly, she was the original pink ranger, if you need me you don't have to speak in code."

"Well, that's just swell," snapped Haley.

Haley had gone to college with him and so had seen him in a few drunken stunts moaning about Kim, he could understand it, but he wouldn't put up with it. "When she's with me, she's my guest, and I expect her to be treated with respect, whatever is between us has nothing to do with the Rangers, or with Kimberly as a person. While she is in the house she is to be treated with respect, am I understood."

"Sure, boss," Conner mock-saluted.

"I mean it."

"Fine," the rest of them agreed. "Conner, I need you to pick up the slack with the Rangers, I'll do what I can but my main concern is Kimberly. Haley, can I have a moment alone with you?"

"Are you sure Kimberly would like that," Tommy narrowed his eyes at her. Did she like him? he wondered. He had never noticed it before, but with her biting comments toward Kimberly, it made him wonder. "Sure, boss. What's this about?"

"I need you to do research."

"On?"

"Kimberly."

"I want to know what happened to her in the late ninties, I know she was in Florida, training for the Olympics. I want to know more."

"Look, I'm not her biggest fan. I don't know what's between you, and frankly, Tommy, I don't want to know, but I do know that if she finds out you've been spying on her it will only cause problems," and with that she left.


	6. Hints

Hints

_A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Reviews are love. This story is starting to take on a life of its own. I have finals tomorrow, everyone pray for me ;)_

_"For his life, Pink Ranger."_

_"I'm not the Pink Ranger anymore. Leave me alone. I'm ordinary, just an ordinary citizen."_

_"The choice is still the same. Don't take too long."_

Kimberly sat up panting and breathing hard. She couldn't stay here. She must be insane. She had made a bargain, a bargain she had to stick to, lives would forfeit if she didn't play by the rules. Her happiness didn't matter in the end, all that mattered was his life. She had done what she had to keep him alive. She had made a bargain and she had to live up to it, no matter how she might wish otherwise. She hoped Tommy had managed to retrieve her scrapbook; she had to protect the Rangers. How could she have been such a fool? She had not only put her identity and Tommy's in jeopardy but all of their friends.

She was sure he had found it; protecting people was what he was best at. He seemed to be the ultimate ranger, even at thirty he was still saving the world from monstrous beings; he was an intergalactic hero, and most people had no idea. She wondered what had taken so long. She wished she could get out of the hospital, the sooner she was better the better it would be for everyone. For her, for Tommy, and for the world. She was not going to get in the power rangers way. She thought about the many times she had started to write him and tell him the truth and had ripped up the letter knowing that what she had to lose was greater than being with the man she loved, the only man she could ever truly love. No man that she had ever met even remotely compared to him. She wondered if she could make him mad enough that she would get over him, but she doubted it, although she deserved everything he had to tell her. She knew she did.

She had known that Kat liked him when she left and had hoped he would move on and forget her. It seemed that things between them had ended; although she didn't know why and didn't want to. She had worried when she had first left but when she had had to break up with him she had been almost grateful for Kat. Yet, she had disliked it. She had made the right choice, she had known that during Turbo when she had proved to be a liability. Tommy had nearly demorphed to save her.

She shook her head to get her bearings and pulled herself over to the wheelchair. Perhaps, she could get out of here. And then what? she asked herself. She didn't have a car, she doubted she could even drive in this condition. Even as a former power ranger, a former olympics winner, she was nothing against the car accident. It had left her broken and weak. The most she could do was wash her face and brush her hair, which she did. She hated feeling so helpless, and she wondered when it would end. Not since being a power ranger had she felt in control of her own destiny.

Perhaps her life would have different if she had stayed a power ranger, then she would have been able to stay with Tommy and her life would be different. Alas, it was not meant to be and life since then had made her slightly cynical. She wondered if Tommy would make another trip to her car and get her lit books so that she could spend more time studying, since she doubted she would be active for quite awhile. She frowned as she saw a black light transport in. "Can't sleep?" she asked.

"Looks like I'm not the only one," he replied. "I thought you might be asleep."

"Who can sleep when monsters keep attacking our planet," she quipped.

"Kim...do you have nightmares about them?" he asked, the thought occurring to him for the first time.

"Not usually," she answered. "I want to go home, Tommy. I don't belong here. Not anymore," she whispered.

"I promised I wouldn't do this. It's usually against the rules, against my rules..." he paused, looking into her eyes. The haunted look had disappeared from her eyes. "Would you like to see where the base of the power rangers is now? I'll have to have you back before the nurses check on you but..." She didn't have to answer, the smile was enough. He knew she wasn't fond of hospitals, and he wasn't fond of her being in one. "You'll have to hold my hand," he said reaching down to hold her hand, he pressed it to his lips, automatically and then pulled her into his arms, so he wouldn't have to worry with the wheelchair, he told himself. He pressed a button on his watch and smiled at the familiar sight.

"You shouldn't care me. I'm not as light as I once was."

"Well, I'm stronger," he teased, but he saw the worry in her eyes.

"I can't be here. You should take me back. Put me down," she said. She was worried. Was she breaking the agreement just be being near him. What was she going to do? Giving him up once had been hard enough, would she be strong enough to do it again, if she got close to him again. She was sure that the only reason she had been able to do it was because she didn't have to see him, she didn't know if she could have done it in person, despite what was at stake.

He put her down on a lounge chair. She turned to look around, as a sob tore itself from her throat. Her original costume was here in a glass case, along with every power ranger costume that he had known of. She looked at the green ranger costume, and at the white one. Saba was there too.

He watched her, concern marring his features. She was obviously very distressed. He had never kept her anywhere against her will, so when she had requested that he put her down, he had found the nearest place and done so even though he wasn't ready to take her back. There was something going on inside her head that he wasn't privy too, he felt the resentment take a back seat as concern for her overrode every other emotion. When he had held her he had felt the old feelings returning, he had felt her heart beating in time with his and he was sure that was what had made her want her distance. He could barely think of anything except how soft she had felt, how right she had felt in his arms. He watched her and waited, sitting himself down at the bottom of the lounge chair as he waited.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. He narrowed his eyes at her. Exactly what was she sorry for? He needed more than this, he deserved more.

"So you broke up with your boyfriend..." he started casually. "I can relate to the way he feels. Do you think you should tell him about your accident? Will he be worried?"

"Tommy..." she didn't know what to say, and she was in no position to flee. She knew what was coming. The letter. How was she going to explain, when she couldn't tell him.

"What reason did you give him?" he asked, his voice rough as he looked away.

"I didn't give him a reason. I couldn't give him what he needed," she stated, looking down at him. He was wearing a black long sleeved shirt and black jogging pants. The black ranger. "We argued and it's over."

"He didn't fit in with your fairy tale?"

She deserved that. "I don't know that I believe in fairy tales anymore," she replied, looking down at her hands, at her broken pink fingernails, that had been so pretty when she had had them done. She had always done her fingernails, and they were broken, much like her relationship with Tommy. "I couldn't love him," she whispered.

"And me, you couldn't love me either?"

"I wrote to you. I explained everything," she added, meeting his eyes slowly. She deserved this, she deserved to see the hurt and betrayal she had caused him. She even deserved the blank look that had passed over his face as if he wasn't talking about himself but someone else.

"I know. I'm the one that got the letter. It was delivered to Ernie's Juice Bar. It was read out loud in front of all of our friends."

"I'm sorry," she replied, tears spilling forth. "I know that I'm sorry, doesn't cover it, but I am. It was mean and hateful and I deserve your ire." The blank look disappeared from his face as his eyes narrowed.

"Did you want me to hate you?"

"I...I don't know. I don't...I can't talk about this, please." He went over to his desk and pulled out the scrapbook.

"What is this about?" he asked. "I want answers, Kim. I deserve that."

"I gave you answers. That was why I wrote the letter." He opened up the scrapbook, to a page that focused on them. It showed different shots of them kissing, and showed it to her.

"You wrote that I was like a brother. Does that look like a sibling relationship?"

"Tommy, please. My feelings changed. I had met someone."

"You're lying," he said looking into her eyes.

"No! You have to believe me," she pleaded. "Tommy, there was someone else! I loved him more! More than anything! You have to believe that! The only thing I felt for you was that of a comrade of a brother in arms!"

"Who was it?"

Kim's mind went blank, did he believe her? He had to! Everything depended on his believing her. What could she say to be sure that he believed her. Her mind searched for someone, anyone. "Jason!" she said, desperate for his belief and praying that he wouldn't ask Jason.

Despite the pitch of her voice, Tommy's voice was calm and even. "Why are you lying to me, Kimberly?"

"Because I have too!" she shouted without thinking only to cover her mouth with both hands, as she realized what she had revealed. "I'm not. Jason and I go way back. We were in a relationship. We made-out. We had sex," she stated, although the thought made her slightly sick.

"Oh, Kimberly," Tommy had said gently, not paying heed to what she had said about her and Jason. "Why? What happened? Tell me, baby."

"You want to hear about me and Jase?" she asked deliberately misunderstanding.

"I'll fax the papers into the hospital. You are staying with me until we get this sorted out," he took in her weakened condition, and the weakness of her voice. The accident was still taking its toll on her. He would take care of everything. He would take care of her. He would find out everything. He was going to email Jason just as soon as he could. He knew she was lying and he owed Jason an apology. He reached her side, and picked her up once again and put her into his bed. He would sleep on the couch if he had to but she wouldn't be leaving his side again. She had passed out the moment her head hit the pillow and he called Haley.

"Hale, it's Tommy."

"What's up boss?"

"I need you to watch over Kimberly when I can't be here. I need you to make sure she doesn't leave."

"Tommy, you can't force her to be with you."

"I know. So will you do it?"

"Sure thing."

"Your a lifesaver."

"That's me inflatable," she joked.

"I owe you one," he said and hung up. He sat in a chair near her bed and watched her until he dozed off himself. Now, he just had to find out exactly why she had written that letter.


	7. Girl Talk

Girl Talk

_A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Good News, I passed Biology! And other good news, you are getting closer to uncovering Kimberly's secret_

Haley knocked on Kimberly's door. Now was as good a time as any to meet the first pink power ranger of Earth, and the woman who had broken Tommy's heart. She still herself, ready to dislike this Kim on that principle alone. She cracked the door and peered in, to find Kimberly hastily wiping tears off her face.

"Hey," she said attempting to smile. "You must be Haley. Tommy said you would be stopping by."

"Yes," Haley replied, wondering what she had been crying about. She had been a power ranger, although she knew Dr. O didn't have nightmares, or his students, could this Kimberly have nightmares from when she had been a power ranger. "Is there anything you want to talk about? Can I get your pain medicine?"

"He doesn't want me to leave, does he?"

"No, 'Fraid not," Haley added.

"Then you must help me leave. If I stay his life will be endangered."

Haley saw the desperation in her eyes. "I can't do that. I've promised Dr. O that I would make sure you stayed put, and that's exactly what I intend on doing, besides Kim you may have been a former power ranger but you can't care for yourself in this condition."

"Then call Billy, he'll take care of me."

"He's not on Earth, Kim."

"Figures, he always enjoyed the advanced technology," Kim stated blowing out her breathe. "What about Jason?"

"You will have to discuss leaving with Dr. O?"

"Do you not care about his life?"

"Of course I do, more than you apparently do."

"I sacrificed everything to save him," Kim stated, hotly. "How dare you! You have no idea what I sacrificed to keep him alive, and safe, well safe for Tommy," she added rolling her eyes, as he had once again become a power ranger.

"What did you sacrifice? Is this why you broke up with him? Who threatened Dr. O?" Haley asked.

"Please, Haley. Help me escape. Me being here puts his life in danger. Lord..."

"Zedd?" Haley finished for her. "I watched a video Tommy had made," she replied before Kim could ask.

"What happened Kim? What did you do? What did you promise? Is this why you have nightmares?" Kim nodded, helplessly.

"Nothing in my life has been the same since."

"But you left before you broke up with him right."

"Yes, I did. But even though I was gone, we were still together. Things were still good. He was still my white ranger on a white tiger," she said in a slightly dreamy voice. "We broke the rules, maybe what happened was punishment," she whispered. "It was against the rules of the power rangers, but I missed him so much, he wasn't supposed to transport unless it was strictly ranger duty. But I would call him at night, and he would come.

"I don't really see what was wrong with that," Haley commented. "I mean sure it was against the rules, but Dr. O would have thought of that.

"But he wasn't Dr. O then, then he was just Tommy." Haley had thought she had loved Dr. O but she could hear the love in Kim's voice, it was almost sicking, but her voice was getting weaker, and she had to remember that she had just been in a car accident, as much as she wanted to hear about it.

"Tell me what happened. It will help, it may even make the nightmares stop." Kimberly took a deep breathe and nodded.

"It was after I left, I was still in school. I spent most of my time training and doing my school work, but I got lonely and I called Tommy and he transported to where I was. Billy said it was safe to transport, that since he had created our communicators they didn't fall under ranger duties, but I had given mine to Katherine when I left so I couldn't break the rules even though I wanted to be the one to break the rules. Tommy wouldn't let me do it. He didn't want me to take the heat, if anything happened..." she began as the memories flashed over her.

_"Tommy, I've missed you so much," she had said as soon as the white light disappeared, leaving Tommy in its place, as she launched herself on him, kissing him and wrapping her legs around him in excitement. He had chuckled lowly._

_"I've missed you too, Kimberly," he had said in a strained voice. _

_"Is something wrong? Have you been hurt?" she had asked noting that he had strained._

_"Just the latest monster of the week," he had said with a laugh. "You remember what it was like."_

_"Only all too well. At least the only time I'm sore it's due to gymnastics." He settled down on her bed and pulled her close to him. He played with her hair before kissing her again._

_"I'm glad you are following your dreams. It keeps me fighting to know that you are okay."_

_"Hey, you are the one fighting the monster," she added, before their kissing heated up. _

_"I love you, Kimberly."_

_"I love you too, Tommy. More than anything. Do you think we can be quiet? You know I haven't reached the point in my training..." Tommy silenced her with a kiss. He had fallen asleep with her, and he awoke early. _

_"I hate to leave you beautiful."_

_"I hate for you to leave," she added, her eyes filling with tears. "Sometimes, I wish I was still fighting with you. I wish I had never left."_

_"Kimberly, you left for a reason, to follow your dream. I don't want to stand in your way, and I don't want anything else to either. I've got to go. I love you."_

_"I love you too," she had stated as she kissed him one last time, and then he was gone. Later, that day she had found Goldar and Rito in her room. Oh, man. What she wouldn't have given for her morpher or her communicator. "Look, Goldar, I know you think it's fun kidnapping me, but I'm not a ranger anymore. There is nothing to be gained by kidnapping me."_

_"Lord Zedd and Empress Rita have other plans and they involve you former ranger." She had been powerless as they took her. _


	8. Past, Present, Future

Past, Present, and Future

_A/N: Sorry, it's been such a long time to update. Here is part of the reason Kim has to stay away..._

Kimberly found herself lost in thought and before she had known it she had fallen asleep on Tommy's friend. The nightmares still haunted her, whether she was awake or asleep. The more things seemed to change the more they stayed the same. She was held away from Tommy with invisible bondage more potent than any type of restraints. She had given her word, and if she broke it, Tommy would pay the price, and the price was just too high, no matter what the rewards could be.

She awoke to the sounds of pain, of someone riffling through supplies, and she sat herself up and pulled herself from the bed. She was stronger than she had been a week ago but still weak enough, still in enough pain that she needed her medication. She reached for the wheelchair that was always beside the bed and pulled herself into it as she went to the bathroom to investigate. He had to have heard her coming but he didn't seem to be paying attention. She should have knocked. She was presented with a half-naked Tommy and that seemed to be all she could focus on for awhile. After she regained her senses she was able to see the nasty scratch that ran from just under his armpit to the end of his ribs. Tommy's chest was as sculpted as ever. She sucked in her breathe and he turned around to face her.

"Is everything alright?"

"You tell me," she responded. "You are the one with a nasty cut."

"It's nothing."

"Nothing. Or nothing I haven't experienced myself."

"Kim," he said and his eyes ate her up. She felt herself blushing, and becoming warm under his gaze. She should leave. She didn't belong here. She was putting him in danger just remaining here. She pulled herself unsteadily to her feet and took the gauze from him and began dabbing at the cut.

"Haven't we been here before?" she asked, with a half-smirk. He placed his hands on top of hers and her pulse quickened.

"Maybe we will be again," he whispered into her ear, as he brushed her hair back. She was finding it hard to breathe, just being in his presence was intoxicating. They always had been like fire and ice, like dark and light, like sun and rain. It was why they exploded around each other, they loved too fiercely. She needed to say something, but her mind emptied of everything but him.

"Tommy," she whispered as he brought his lips to hers, and she melted against him. The moment his lips touched hers, she was a goner. She should have kept her distance, but there was no going back now. Kimberly reached up and pulled him closer, hooking her arms behind his neck and bringing his face closer so she could ignite the flames. She held onto his naked chest for balance as she traced his shoulders, remembering the feel and texture of them. She was lost in the heat of him and couldn't turn back now if she wanted too. He easily lifted her up and pulled himself away from her for a moment as he hefted her onto the sink. A thought was pushing itself into her brain, a thought she pushed herself away from as he gazed at her, concern for her radiating in his dark eyes. He ran his hands over her, waiting for their breathing to calm.

"Kim," he spoke, and hesitated enough for her to feel self-conscious. Long enough for her to remember. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," she croaked out, heat filling her cheeks.

"Kimberly, I love you." And she remembered. And the fear was back.

"No, you don't. You can't. Please, help me back to my chair," she told a confused Tommy, as she forced a smile.

"No, you don't, not this time, Kimberly. I want the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. You care as much about me as I do about you. That letter was a load of bull. There was never anything between you and Jason. So how about the truth for once?" He was angry and she knew.

"I can't be with you, Tommy."

"I don't understand. Can't or wont? This isn't rocket science, Kim. There's nothing else. Is it about me being a ranger?"

"No...yes...I don't know," Kim said as her eyes filled with tears. "I just can't risk it. There's too much at stake."

"I won't hurt you, Kim. I never have," he swore.

"I'll hurt you," she whispered.

"That's a chance I'll take."

"Why do you have to be so perfect?" Kim asked.

"I'm not, Kim. Believe me. I have a horrible memory, I'm competitive, and I love being a ranger. I drive too fast, and I've got so many parking tickets that I might as well own a parking meter."

Kim laughed, "Oh, Tommy, I wish we could go back."

"Who needs to go back, it's the present and the future I'm interested in."

"There is no future. Tommy, not for us."

"Talk to me, baby," he carried her to the bed where she would be comfortable.

"There was a baby," the words tumbled out before she had known she had said them.

"You have a child?" he asked her.

"No, we had a child," she said, her voice becoming softer, "A baby boy. Our baby boy. Falcon. I held him and I named him."

"You gave him up?"

"No, I wouldn't. Never. They told me that he had died, there were complications. I don't remember a lot, it was a difficult birth. I...I can't talk about this, Tommy," she said as her words tumbled over each other like hot acid. "I couldn't tell you, it would have ruined you life. I promised."

Tommy was looking at her like he didn't know her. And he wasn't sure he did. All he could think of was the grief she had kept from him, the love, the life, everything she had kept from him, kept it all bottled up and hidden, and for what purpose had the last fifteen years of his life been. And now he had problems with the rangers as well. They were only teenagers, they had no idea what they were getting themselves into. There was more to her story, he knew. He needed to hear it. Every bit of it. But she was crying so hard, he couldn't make out what she was saying, so he did what felt right. He took her into his arms. He held her and he kissed her, first on one eye and then the other. "I'm going to find out what happened, baby. I will. You have my word," he promised her, he promised both of them.

There was something so strange about everything. He waited for her to continue but she didn't. When he looked down at her, he realized she had fallen asleep. He couldn't stop wondering what the baby had looked like. Falcon, he thought. Falcon Oliver, a smile flitted over his lips as he wondered what the child had looked like.

_As she slept she dreamed, she remembered. She could see Goldar, Lord Zedd, and Rita standing before her._

"_You don't know it Pink Ranger, but you are pregnant."_

"_No, it's not possible," she denied. "Being a part of the morphing grid, it doesn't allow us to get pregnant," she told them._

"_But you no longer are," Lord Zedd pointed out._

"_Believe us, or not, the truth will be evident soon enough."_

"_What do you want from me?"_

"_Actually, it's what we can do for you."_

"_That child will destroy the white ranger. We will rid you of it."_

"_No! Never!"_

"_This is what I will never understand about pesky humans, they claim to love another human, but wont make any sacrifice for them."_

"_We could show you your future. Don't you want to know, Pink Ranger, what your life with Tommy will be like. You really think I want your brat? I can barely stand my own brother. There are powers I have that you have never seen, Pink Ranger, and more importantly I can share them with you. I have seen your shared future."_

"_Show me," she said almost against her will, and Rita placed her hands into her own. And she saw it, the creatures kept kidnapping Kimberly. Over and over, Tommy risked everything, the whole team, for her. She watched in horror as Billy died, because of her. The monsters would never stop. Even as Tommy and Kim married, with Zordon and Alpha there, as their child was born and grew up in the midst of monster attacks, only for them to shift from kidnapping Kim to kidnapping their child. On one mission, Tommy died in her arms, and her child, her baby was beheaded in front of her. Kim came out of the vision with tears filling her eyes, feeling helpless and alone. "How can I stop it?"_

"_How does it feel to be responsible for the end of Earth?"_

"_What can I do to stop it?"_

"_There is one thing if you are certain you want this child."_

"_He's mine. It's a life, I could never destroy a life."_

"_Just the world," Zedd said humorlessly. _

"_There is one thing. We can promise, and have the League of Villians to sign it. Tommy will not be targeted, if you leave him. Break it off with him, any violation of this agreement will have your vision becoming a reality."_

"_I so swear." _


	9. Between Us

Between Us

As the weeks went by, Kimberly found herself getting stronger and stronger, the effects from the accident seemed to be wearing off. Kimberly could now get around on just her crutches. She had finally been able to take her finals and had passed with flying colors. Tommy had contacted her professors and explained the situation to them, and now all she had to do was take her state boards and find a job. Then, she could get out of here. She couldn't risk staying here. She had already told him more than she had meant to, she blamed the medications that she had been taking but in all honesty it was being around Tommy.

He made her think of her son, of their son. Falcon. She couldn't have named him anything else. Falcon, as Tommy had always been hers. They were birds of a feather, and it was getting harder and harder to remember why she had to keep her distance from him. The baby had been red from childbirth when she had seen him, with a head full of hair as dark as Tommy's, and her nose, and he had had a strange birthmark that looked like a bird. But he was dead. She had the death certificate as proof. What else did she need?

She pushed herself up onto her crutches and headed toward a mirror to check out her appearance. She had managed to put her hair up in a stylish french bun, and do her make-up. She had slipped into a simple pink dress that had spaghetti straps, and fell to her ankles with a spit on one side up to her mid thigh, it was the lightest shade of pink ever. She couldn't believe it was here. She didn't remember purchasing it, but it looked like the dress she had picked out all those years ago to a prom they never went to.

"You look beautiful," she heard Tommy's voice say behind her. She turned around slowly maneuvering the crutches so that she was facing him. She looked steadily into his eyes, feeling lost and confused, instead of confident. There was so much between them. And yet none of it seemed to matter right now. It was just them. Tommy and Kimberly. The pink ranger and the white one. The pink ranger and the green one. Forever and Always, that was how long they had promised to love each other.

"Oh, I don't know about that, Tommy. Nothing is what is seems."

Tommy nodded thoughtfully. "Kimberly," he came closer to her, "You have surprised me."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I wish I could explain."

"You can. You can tell me anything. After everything we've been through, all the battles we fought, nothing can come between us, but us."

"You are right. I can't tell you, but I can show you." She began to move her crutches toward the bed, but he scooped her up and carried her. Once she sat on the bed, she took his hands in hers and she shared Rita's gift with him. He could see how she had been kidnapped and threatened.

"Why didn't you come to me?" he asked her as the vision receded.

"And risk your life?" she choked out. "I have to go. I've broken the treaty by being here."

"I'm not letting you go, not now that I know the truth. I'm not letting you go. No one's taking you from me, Kimberly, not Rita, not Lord Zedd and not Mesogog."

"If something happened to you..."

"Look Kim, nothings going to happen to me," he cupped her face into his hands, "As long as I've got you. No secrets, Kimberly, alright."

"Alright," she smiled, looking up into his face as he brought his lips to hers in a short kiss.

"Come on, let's go get something to eat. I want to show off my girlfriend," he said with a smile. "You look too pretty to hang around the house.

"I don't want to go out with crutches," Kimberly complained.

"Then lean on me. Besides, I want you to meet the Dino Rangers."


	10. Stay with Me

Stay With Me

The weeks passed by slowly and first and then much more swiftly. During that time Tommy and Kim had kept their attraction for one another and the atmosphere was strained but had adopted a hands off policy. Kim could now walk on her own and was free to return to Florida if she choose. There was really nothing to return to. But could she really stay. She still feared that something grave would happen to Tommy and that it would all be her fault. Tommy had given Kimberly a morpher just in case. Afterall, the power had chosen them once, it could again. He was living proof of that.

"Don't you think we're getting a little old to play ranger?"

"I'm as fit as ever, and you are still as beautiful as the first time I saw you. You were watching me in my karate match against Jason."

"How do you know I wasn't watching Jase," she replied.

"I know," was his smug remark.

"Tommy, Zordon chose us because we were teenagers, we aren't anymore."

"Being around you makes me feel like a teenager. Keep it. For me." She could never turn him down when he used that tone, she she kept the morpher, just in case. Being around him made her feel like a teenager too, but she couldn't stay here. There weren't playing rangers anymore, or at least she wasn't. One of them had to keep a cool head, and it wasn't going to be him. She couldn't stay, and she no longer had an excuse to stay. If she was going to stay it would be on different terms, and yet she was getting too comfortable here, letting him care for her. She couldn't get sucked into this world again, she still wasn't sure where she belonged or if he would get hurt even if Zedd and Rita were gone.

He thought there child was alive and was doing an endless such on their Falcon. Kim didn't know, and she hated for him to have false hope, but she hadn't the heart to discourage him. She began packing her things with regret. She wished she could stay. She was becoming comfortable in her role as a mentor, she got along famously with Hailey and the rangers seemed to look up to her. She thought perhaps she could get a job as a teacher with Tommy but she didn't want to make plans unless he said he wanted her to stay. She didn't...she couldn't impose on Tommy not like that...it wasn't fair.

He should be free to date, to love without her in the way. More than once she had found herself face to face with Kat, who didn't like her being there and Kim didn't blame her. She had broken Tommy's heart. Even if he had forgiven her, even if her reasons had been to save him, it didn't excuse it. The truth was she had wanted him to hate her so that he didn't confront her, she didn't know what she would have said, what she could have done to hide the truth. Kimberly finished packing and grabbed her bags and took out a piece of paper and began to write. It was then that she came face to face with a familiar pair of eyes.

"What is this? Another letter?"

"I thought it would be best."

"Better than what? Telling me that you are leaving me...again."

"I don't ….Tommy, I can't stay here."

"Why not?" He always had been direct and honest.

"I thought you liked it here."

"I do."

"Are you still afraid of Zedd's threat?" he asked and he saw the fear reflected there. He reached her side. "Darling, nothing can break us apart. Nothing but us. Stay with me. Stay." He lowered his lips and her grasp on her bags slipped as his lips claimed her own as his. She had always been his, she grasped at him, pulling him closer, for there was no where she wanted to be more than to be with Tommy. She gasped as a wave of passion rolled around and brought shivvers to her body. She hadn't known she could still feel like this. And so she didn't stop him when he carried her to her bed.


End file.
